John Thompson

ROAN MOUNTAIN — A piece of railroad history has been destroyed. An old narrow-gauge box car that had been part of the famous Tweetsie train of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad was burned in an apparent arson fire on Heaton Hill Lane.

Deputy Brian Smithpeters took the report from Larry Heaton, who said he discovered the ruins around 11 a.m. Thursday. He said the box car had been set on fire and only the metal roof remained. A neighbor said he had seen the box car at 1 a.m. and it was intact at that time.